The Tattooist of Auschwitz: Cast, true story & more explained

The Tattooist of Auschwitz TV show adaptation has landed on Peacock — here’s what it’s about, the true story behind it, who’s in the cast, and its Rotten Tomatoes score. 

Among some of the best war movies ever made are those set in World War II, a time when one of the greatest atrocities known to man was unfolding. But none stir up quite as much horror and tragedy as tales from Auschwitz, the site of the largest single-location mass murder in history. 

The latest exploration of this challenging topic is Jonathan Glazer’s 2023 movie The Zone of Interest, which juxtaposes the seemingly light and mundane family life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss against the backdrop of the Holocaust, making it a sinister exploration of the dangers of indifference. 

Another story to have emerged from this period in history is The Tattooist of Auschwitz, a new six-episode series based on Heather Morris’ 2018 novel of the same name. So, here’s what you need to know about the story, cast, and more. 

What is The Tattooist of Auschwitz about?

The Tattooist of Auschwitz centers on Slovakian Jew Lali Sokolov, who works as Auschwitz’s tattooist. While imprisoned at the concentration camp, he falls in love with a girl he meets named Gita Furman, and uses the privileges of his position to be able to communicate with her. 

Ultimately, it’s a tale of finding love in the unlikeliest of places, but it also doesn’t hold back on depicting the horrors of the Nazi regime, where humans were treated like cattle and there was little to no reprieve for the prisoners. 

While the novel tells the story in the third person, focusing on the story from Lali’s perspective, the series jumps between two storylines, with the story being told in the present-day by Lali as he’s interviewed by The Tattooist of Auschwitz author, Heather Morris. This allows for the show to depict the impact of Lali’s time at the death camp and explore issues that faced all survivors such as fear, anger, and guilt. 

Is The Tattooist of Auschwitz based on a true story?

While The Tattooist of Auschwitz novel and series are a work of historical fiction, it is grounded in reality, as Heather Morris based her book on interviews conducted with the real-life Lali Sokolov, also known as Ludwig or Lale.

Just as he’s depicted in the story, Lali was a Slovakian Jew who was imprisoned at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 1942, where he was later assigned as one of the camp’s tattooists. 

While in the camp, Lali met fellow prisoner Gisela “Gita” Fuhrmannova, who he eventually married after escaping in 1945 at the end of World War II. The pair were able to live a happy life together. It wasn’t until 2003 when Gita died at age 78 that Lali felt he was able to speak about his experiences at Auschwitz.

He and Heather spoke for three years, their talks leading to the development of the story for The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Though it went on to become a global bestseller, the novel did spark controversy due to the poetic license taken with some of the story’s elements. 

In 2018, the Auschwitz Memorial Research Centre claimed that “the book contains numerous errors and information inconsistent with the facts, as well as exaggerations, misinterpretations and understatements.” 

Among the inaccuracies cited included the route taken to the camp, with Auschwitz Memorial’s magazine Memoria stating (via the Guardian): “The transport could not have traveled through Ostrava and Pszczyna… [Morris] probably used the modern online search engine of railway connections.” 

There were also questions about the accuracy of the prisoners who were murdered on a bus used as a gas chamber and the fact that Lali was able to obtain penicillin for Gita.

Ultimately, the concern was that readers might treat The Tattooist of Auschwitz as “a source of knowledge and imagination about the reality of life” in the camp, therefore muddying people’s understanding of what really happened. 

In response to the report, a spokesperson for Heather’s publisher told the Guardian at the time: “The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a novel based on the personal recollections and experiences of one man. It is not, and has never claimed to be, an official history. If it inspires people to engage with the terrible events of the Holocaust more deeply, then it will have achieved everything that Lali himself wished for.”

Who’s in The Tattooist of Auschwitz cast?

Jonah Hauer-King plays the younger version of Lali Sokolov in The Tattooist of Auschwitz cast, while acting legend Harvey Keitel portrays the older version. Anna Prochniak, meanwhile, takes on the role of Gita Furman. Other stars include:

• Melanie Lynskey as Heather Morris, a nurse-turned-writer who Lali befriends and shares his story with
• Jonas Nay as Stefan Baretzki, the brutal SS guard who, at times, helps Lali to meet with Gita
• Olivia Popica as Nadya, a young mother Lali befriends at Auschwitz
• Adam Karst as Pepan, the tattooist who gives Lali a chance to survive by giving him a job
• Mili Eshet as Ivana, a Slovakian woman who grows to be close with Gita
• Tallulah Haddon as Hanna, another of Gita and Ivana’s closest friends in the camp
• Frederik von Lüttichau as Josef Houstek, another evil Nazi officer at Auschwitz
• Avital Lvova as Marta, a fellow prisoner who oversees Gita’s barracks
• Phenix Brossard as Leon, a young gay man who Lali protects by taking him on as a tattooist

Harvey Keitel plays the older Lali Sokolov, while Melanie Lynskey portrays Heather Morris

The biggest name in the cast is Keitel, who’s appeared in Quentin Tarantino classics Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, as well as Taxi Driver, From Dusk Till Dawn, and The Irishman, to name a few. 

Hauer-King is best known for playing Prince Eric in the live-action adaptation of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, while Prochniak has starred in The Innocents, Oleg, and Baptiste. And you may recognize Lynskey’s name, having appeared in titles such as The Last of Us and Yellowjackets. 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz Rotten Tomatoes score

Although there is no audience score just yet, The Tattooist of Auschwitz has received 79% from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. 

As stated by CNN, “Tattooist of Auschwitz stands apart from the crowd, thanks in part to the quality of its performances, not just by documenting the barbarity of the Nazis but the sprigs of humanity that managed to bloom during the darkest of times.”

Elsewhere, Variety said, “At the end of the day, The Tattooist of Auschwitz puts the dichotomy of the human spirit on full display, showing the possibility of love and the unimaginable monstrosity that hatred can bring.”

Of the less favorable reviews, the Guardian stated that the show “is a drama that raises the question of whether fiction can ever be an appropriate response to the Holocaust; on this evidence, perhaps not.”

How to watch The Tattooist of Auschwitz on streaming

All six episodes of The Tattooist of Auschwitz are available to stream on Peacock now. 

If you’re in the UK, the series can be watched on Sky or NowTV. 

For more, check out the new TV shows heading to streaming this month, as well as new movies to add to your watchlist.